Brittney Griner ‘Devastated’ After She’s Sentenced To 9 Years In Russian Prison, Lawyers Say
Brittney Griner’s lawyers said the WNBA player ‘still needs to digest’ her sentence, which was announced on Aug. 4.
Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Russian court on Aug. 4 and is absolutely dumfounded, according to her lawyers. “She’s devastated. She is very upset and she’s honestly quite shocked, so she needs to digest what happened today,” Maria Blagovolina, a partner at Rybalkin Gortsunyan Dyakin and Partners, told People in a statement following the verdict.
The 31-year-old WNBA player was arrested in February after marijuana vape cartridges were found in her luggage as she traveled to Mosco, Russia to play basketball. She pleaded guilty at the start of her trial, which commenced in July. During her closing comments, Brittney told the judge her carrying of marijuana was “an honest mistake” and asked for a shorter sentence than the 10 years she was up for. “I understand everything that has been said against me in the charges against me, but I had no intent to break Russian law,” she explained. “I want the court to understand that it was an honest mistake that I made while rushing and in stress trying to recover post-Covid and just trying to get back to my team.” The judge thought otherwise, ruling that Brittney had criminal intent.
Maria and Brittney’s other lawyer, Alexander Boykov of the Moscow Legal Center, told People the nine-year sentence was double of what they expected the outcome to be. “So nine years, it’s pretty unusual and it contradicts the existing court practice in Russia,” Maria stated. “That’s why we are really disappointed and very much surprised by this decision of the court.”
![This is the booking photo of the voice of Disney’s Pocahontas, Irene Bedard, after she was arrested for disorderly conduct. The 55-year-old - best known for voicing the famous character in the 1995 animated movie - had to be separated from another woman by police in Greene County, Ohio, on August 19 after the pair were arguing and screaming. According to a police report, the women “walked out into the street screaming, without any regard for traffic”. Bedard had “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on her breath”, but insisted she had not been drinking that day. She told police she had drunk a bottle of vodka the day before. Bedard said the other woman, Sheila Johnson, had been trying to help her into her “studio”, but she was unable to find her keys. According to the police report, Beard’s “emotions changed rapidly”, going from calm to becoming upset and eventually crying. Police tried to move Bedard away from a large window as they feared she might shatter the glass, but when Johnson offered them a name to call on Bedard’s behalf the actress ran away screaming. She was booked for disorderly conduct and released on August 21. Bedard was arrested twice over a three-day period back in November 2020. *BYLINE: Greene County Sheriff’s Office/Pop Nation/TMX/Mega. 19 Aug 2022 Pictured: The booking photo of the voice of Disney’s Pocahontas, Irene Bedard, after she was arrested for disorderly conduct. *BYLINE: Greene County Sheriff’s Office/Pop Nation/TMX/Mega. Photo credit: GreeneCountySheriff/PopNationTMX / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA889083_001.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]](https://hollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Celebrities-Arrested-In-2022-1.jpg?fit=192%2C240&resize=192%2C240)
![Tiger King star Doc Antle, real name Bhagavan Antle, has been arrested on alleged money laundering charges. The 62-year-old was booked in Horry County, in South Carolina on Friday (June 3) and is set to appear in court next week. Court documents show the arresting agency was the FBI. He is pictured here in his mugshot / booking photo. 04 Jun 2022 Pictured: Doc Antle / Bhagavan Antle mugshot booking photo. Photo credit: Horry County Sheriff/MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA864896_001.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]](https://hollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Doc-Antle-arrested-2022.jpg?fit=192%2C240&resize=192%2C240)
Maria and Alexander said that “as a legal team, we need to do [the] maximum to get a shorter term”, so an appeal will likely follow. However, it won’t be a quick process, as Alexander said the appeal can “take a month or two or more than three,” adding that “it’s not very fast.”
BREAKING: Pres. Biden on Brittney Griner's sentence in Russian drug trial: "Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney. It’s unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates." https://t.co/8jMkbBBnaH pic.twitter.com/LwFZdLwzvh
— Good Morning America (@GMA) August 4, 2022
Following the verdict, President Joe Biden denounced the Russian court and demanded that Brittney be released. “Today, American citizen Britney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Britney,” he tweeted. “It’s unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates. My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Britney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible.”
Brittney has not yet gotten a chance to speak with her wife and family, but said she loves them, per Reuters, as she was removed from the courtroom in handcuffs after the verdict.